Now that he's a hockey dad and youth coach, Buffalo Sabres captain and Greece native Brian Gionta said speaking to young players at summer hockey camps "hits home more.''

Gionta's oldest son, Adam, 10, is a squirt age player in the Amherst Youth Hockey Association, the same age as the Sabres Academy of Hockey campers who hung on his every word at Bill Gray's Regional IcePlex.

"These kids, some of them have been with my son, so you feel a connection with that age group, and you know what makes them excited, what makes them laugh," Gionta, 36, said.

In a question-and-answer session conducted by Don Stevens, the voice of the Amerks and hockey dad himself, Gionta shared lots of advice and laughs with a room full of players, parents and coaches.

And while the conversation went end-to-end on a variety of topics regarding training, offseason activities, and picking the right team to be on, Gionta's overriding message hit top shelf like one of his wrist shots: Keep it fun.

"If you're having fun, no matter what drills you're doing, no matter what game you're in, what situation, you're going to be learning and enjoying it and it makes you better," Gionta said. "If you're dragging your head and you don't want to be there, you're not getting anything out of it. So to me the most important thing is having fun no matter what you're doing, 2-on-2 on the pond or the championship game with your team, it's got to be fun."

For one of the few times in Gionta's stellar, storybook journey on ice, fun was in short supply during the 2014-15 NHL season.

The man who won a national title at Boston College, a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils and captained several Cup-contending teams with the storied Montreal Canadiens was part of a Sabres franchise that finished with the NHL's worst record for a second consecutive year.

Roster upheaval, a GM and head coach barely speaking, fans booing … not exactly the kind of homecoming Gionta envisioned. But how's that saying go? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? Make no mistake, Brian Gionta is strong, physically and mentally.

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

Adversity reveals character and by showing up at the rink each day ready to work and with something positive to say, Gionta showed why that "C" was sewn on his sweater.

"When teams are winning, things are easy," Gionta said. "But when you're losing, you have to try and find answers and solutions and stay positive. You lose all the time, you don't want that feeling to set in and become the new normal. So that was the hardest thing, showing up at the rink and being positive each day and finding something to draw on to help the situation.''

There was a silver lining to Buffalo's two years of hockey hell: A stash of draft picks that GM Tim Murray has used in various ways to upgrade the roster.

Buffalo Sabres right wing Brian Gionta (12) during the game against the Philadelphia Flyers at First Niagara Center on Feb. 15, 2015.(Photo: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)

Centers Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel, the last two No. 2 overall picks in the NHL, are the young plums. But Murray has added a collection of talented veterans (Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Ryan O'Reilly, Jamie McGinn, David Legwand and goalie Robin Lehner) to speed up the rebuilding project, all under the guidance of a Stanley Cup-winning coach (Dan Bylsma for hard-luck Ted Nolan).

The Sabres were 44 points out of a playoff spot last season, so there is much ground to cover. But Gionta said without hesitation "100 percent we'll be a better team." He credited Murray with setting an aggressive, let's-get-'er-done tone at First Niagara Center.

"Look at the moves he's been able to make," Gionta said. "You can say you want a better team, you want to bring in better players, but for him to actually pull that off and make the moves he did, it shows that he means business. That excites guys in the locker room.''

Gionta didn't hide the fact he loved Nolan as a coach, but that Bylsma's track record with young players will provide "a different structure that will be really good for our team.''

Asked about Eichel, the captain made sure not to put pressure on the 18-year-old star. Just like Reinhart, rushing Eichel would be a mistake. Gionta was 22 when he broke in, going on to collect 632 points in 957 games overall. And he's far from finished.

"If Eichel can help the team right away, awesome, but if he can't you have to continue the development process," said Gionta, seven times a 20-goal scorer including 48 for the Devils in 2005-06.

Then the real tough questions, and they came from the campers.

Who did you want more, Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel?

"It didn't matter," Gionta said. "Both will be great players."

Who's the toughest player you've played against?

"Sidney Crosby."

Who's the worst?

"My brother."

Stephen Gionta plays for New Jersey. Following his own advice, big brother Brian was keeping it fun.